Day 21 of Year 2
I had to pry my eyes open to make this one. Busy week and I am sleepy! There was blue ink left on the plate from last night. I couldn't bring myself to remove it, so I included it instead. Normally that would be called a ghost print, but I added black ink in on top so I'll just call it a partial ghost- making it up as I go along. ☺️ Flexibility is key to my process. Traditional printmaking can sometimes be a little rigid. There are rules and ways of doing things that allow for the creation of beautiful prints. But, to be blunt, I suck at following rules. I purposefully make sure my plates aren't squared off and that images make their way off the edges. It's so easy to allow your mind to create boundaries on what you can or cannot do. Mental boundaries are the hardest to fight because we often don't know they are there. One good tip off is when work gets repetitive. Symbols will always repeat in different contexts and with depth of meaning but when the context becomes fixed, then you have problems. I find tackling big problems or reaching for big goals will break mental boxes. Artists need to dream big, it keeps you awake and alive. I'm still having trouble keeping my eyes open so hopefully this is coherent! ☺️ . xo
The Flute
By Kabir, Trans. Robert Bly
Friend, wake up! Why do you go on sleeping?
The night is over— do you want to lose the day
the same way?
Other women who managed to get up early have already found an elephant or a jewel...
so much was lost already while you slept...
and that was so unnecessary!
The one who loves you understood, but you did not.
You forgot to make a place in your bed next to you.
Instead you spent your life playing.
In your twenties you did not grow
because you did not know who your Lord was.
Wake up! Wake up! There's no one in your bed—
He left you during the long night.
Kabir says: The only woman awake is the woman
who has heard the flute!
